Seagulls, pleasure boat rides, fresh fish in bread rolls and a hint of marine diesel fumes: Hamburg's waterfront is popular with locals and visitors in search of a good dose of maritime romanticism. An industrial port that seamlessly blends into the centre of a modern crowded city, complete with gigantic container vessels chugging along the river Elbe at arm's length, it seldom fails to amaze.
A recent addition to the vista is the Elbe Philharmonic Hall. With its grand construction made up of hundreds of shimmering blue glass panels, it towers on top of a former brick warehouse in the middle of the river. Hamburg's newest architectural landmark has quickly become a favourite photo opportunity with visitors - but many locals are less enthusiastic.
To them, the structure is an embarrassment that symbolises political mismanagement on a spectacular scale. And while it's difficult to draw direct parallels between a representative building on Hamburg's waterfront and a major international sports event, the Elbphilharmonie - as the concert hall is known locally - may have played a decisive part in the resounding "no" delivered in the recent referendum on whether Germany's second city should apply to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
When the city council gave the go-ahead in early 2007 to build the Elbphilharmonie, supporters hailed it as a beacon project. It would establish Hamburg as a major player in the world of classical music, the argument went, and earn the city international acclaim.
Today, eight years after ground was first broken, resignation has set in. Construction has been chaotic, and the countless setbacks have included a temporary building stop of almost two years. As things stand now, the venue won't host its first concert before January 2017, almost seven years behind schedule. The estimated final cost to the taxpayer will amount to an eye-watering €789m - more than 10 times the €77m projected by city officials when they first threw their weight behind the idea of a philharmonic hall in 2005.
The final cost of the Elbphilharmonie is an eye-watering €789m - 10 times the €77m projected by officials
Many of those who voted against the Olympic bid in last month's referendum will have done so with the botched history of the Elbphilharmonie firmly at the back of their minds. "I think the people of Hamburg are fed up of being short-changed by private companies when it comes to major public projects," said Heike Lüders, a dentist whose practice is located in the city's affluent Altona neighbourhood, where opposition to the bid was among its strongest. "I could imagine that without the Elbphilharmonie, [the referendum] would have turned out differently."
In theory, at least, Hamburg and the Olympics could have been an interesting match. As a major trade port with close historic links to many parts of the world, my hometown is a decidedly international place that prides itself on being liberal, open and tolerant. But it is also a wealthy city whose political and economic elites have historically been adept at accumulating more wealth. Hamburg's citizens, who have long enjoyed a reputation for being somewhat non-conformist, know this well. They don't just believe the hype, and certainly not after the Elbphilharmonie debacle.
Recent scandals at international sports bodies such as Fifa and the IAAF, not to mention the DFB (Germany's national football federation), have also been blamed for Hamburg turning its back on the Olympics. Berlin's almost comically incompetent attempts over the past seven years to build a new international airport - the capital's own version of the Elbphilharmonie - might also have played a role; and there's the fact that Hamburg never managed to secure a firm commitment from the federal government for help with the cost of the Olympics.
Looking out over Hamburg's port from the Elbe Philharmonic rooftop. Photograph: Marcus Brandt/dpa/CorbisWhat's clear is that the people of Hamburg have lost trust in the ability of those in power to pull off large-scale projects in a responsible manner. A statement by the opposing "Nolympia" group after the referendum result revealed as much, thanking supporters for "countering with arguments an advertising campaign aimed primarily at emotions". It went on to say that the outcome of the referendum now offered a chance at "social, inclusive and sustainable development of the city, which would not have been possible under the burden of an event costing billions".
The supporters of the Olympic bid had promised accelerated development in Hamburg as part of the games. The city's sports infrastructure would receive a significant boost, with a new Olympic stadium to be used by local clubs after the games, a major swimming hall, and a large indoor sports facility. None of these will now be built.
But Hamburg doesn't just need new sports infrastructure; it has also long been in desperate need of more affordable housing. City officials had also drawn up plans for up to 8,000 new homes as part of a redevelopment of Kleiner Grasbrook, a central island in the river Elbe that currently accommodates industrial facilities. In late 2014, the city's mayor, Olaf Scholz, held up the bid for the London 2012 games as a positive example. Hamburg, he said, would put a similar emphasis on urban re-development as part of its Olympic legacy, saying: "We'll be able to speed up what we were planning to do anyway."
In 2014, Hamburg's mayor, Olaf Scholz, held up the bid for the London 2012 Games as a positive example. Photograph: Jason Hawkes/Getty ImagesThat has now been thrown into question. With the premature end of the bid (and the prospect of any associated federal funding), the redevelopment of Kleiner Grasbrook - at an estimated cost of 2bn euros - has already been put on hold indefinitely.
It's these kinds of consequences of failed bids to host Olympic Games or football World Cups that seem to confirm the warnings of some urbanist experts. Significant city development in the 21 st century, they suggest, is increasingly only possible in the wake of high-profile sports events or other major money-spinners.
Related: Hosting the Olympics: the competition no one wants to win
Yet as much as many here may lament the end of Hamburg's Olympic dreams, it also comes with fresh opportunities. Before the referendum, mayor Scholz announced that the city would be able to spend up to a total of €1.2bn - €200m annually - on preparations for the big event without having to take on fresh debt. That's not pocket money and, more importantly, if the funds were available before the referendum, they must still be available now. As any resident of Hamburg knows, the city offers a wealth of opportunities to use them.
Different interest groups have already started to throw around ideas for how to best use the money. A business-friendly thinktank is calling for it to be spent on what it calls the economic development of the city, including an image campaign to attract international investors. Environmental groups want it to go towards projects that focus on sustainable development. Welfare initiatives would like to see improvements in terms of social equality.
Without meaningful financial intervention, Hamburg's long-running housing crisis is also not going to go away anytime soon. Rents in the city have been rising sharply over the past 10 or 15 years, making it increasingly difficult for lower-income groups, students and immigrants to find affordable homes in central locations, and thereby to participate in public life. A long-term concept for the construction of large numbers of affordable homes would be a truly worthy investment. We don't need the Olympics to tell us that.
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